Journalist; Editor; Trustee, State University of New York; YWCA official; and International relations specialist. Papers include an scrapbooks; oral history; correspondence; photographs and clippings; travel files from trips to Asia, Europe, Australia, and China; speeches and writings; and files pertaining to organizations concerned with international relations, education, and international development, among them the Young Women's Christion Association and SUNY.

Terms of Access and Use:

Restrictions on access:

The papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia
Smith Collection with the following restriction: the collection is stored offsite; researchers must give 48 hours advance notice.

This collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use.

Restrictions on use:

The Sophia Smith Collection owns copyright to the unpublished works by the creator of this collection. Copyright to materials created by others may be owned by those individuals or their heirs or assigns. Permission must be obtained to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use." It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.

Sophia Smith CollectionSmith CollegeNorthampton, MA

Biographical Note

Elisabeth Luce was born in China to Presbyterian Board missionaries, April 4, 1903. She graduated from Wellesley College in 1924, where she later served on the Board of Trustees. She married Maurice T. Moore in 1926; they had two sons, Thompson and Michael.

She is the sister of Henry R. Luce, founder of Time Magazine, and early in her career she worked as editor and writer for his periodicals. She was also active in volunteer social work, working with such agencies as the New York Junior League and the National and International YWCA, serving as chair of the YWCA's foreign division in 1944. She was chair of the Nation Council of the USO during World War II, and she served on the advisory committee of the Economic Cooperation Administration, which administered the Marshall Plan. She was a delegate to the International Conference of Women in 1951. Luce Moore served as board chair of the Institute of International Education, which administers such exchange programs as the Fulbright Scholar Program. She has also served as vice-president of United Services to China, and as trustee of the China Institute of America, the Asia Foundation, and the United Board for Christian Higher Education. In 1968 she was appointed by Governor Nelson Rockefeller as chair of the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York, the first woman to hold that job.

She holds honorary degrees from Columbia University, Duke University, Princeton University, Trinity University, the State University of New York, Claremont Graduate Center, Wellesley College, Hamilton College, Adelphi College, Western College, and Silliman University in the Philippines. She has also received numerous awards for her work, among them the Elisabeth Blackwell Medal from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, the National Institute of Social Sciences Medal, the Readers' Digest Award, and the Order of the Brilliant Star from the People's Republic of China. Elisabeth Luce Moore died on February 9, 2002.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Elisabeth Luce Moore Papers include an oral history (1989); scrapbooks (1944-68, 1965); correspondence (1928-85); photographs and clippings (1938-59, 1964-86); awards; travel files from trips to Asia, Europe, Australia, and China(including correspondence, photographs, clippings and notes, all dating from 1950-72); speeches and writings (1920s, 1949-83); organization files, among them the Young Women's Christion Association (YWCA) and SUNY (1944-84); and subject files (1944, 1961-75). Strengths of the collection include Luce/Moore family correspondence, and material pertaining to organizations concerned with international relations, education, and development.

NOTE: The container list for this collection is available in the Sophia Smith Collection. Please contact us to request a copy.

Information on Use

Terms of Access and Use

Restrictions on access:

The papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia
Smith Collection with the following restriction: the collection is stored offsite; researchers must give 48 hours advance notice.

This collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use.

Restrictions on use:

The Sophia Smith Collection owns copyright to the unpublished works by the creator of this collection. Copyright to materials created by others may be owned by those individuals or their heirs or assigns. Permission must be obtained to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use." It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.

Preferred Citation

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

The following terms represent persons, organizations, and topics documented in this collection. Use these headings to search for additional materials on this web site, in the Five College Library Catalog, or in other library catalogs and databases.